


Dancing in the Library

by owlmoose



Category: Cinders
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Flash Fic, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-04
Updated: 2013-11-04
Packaged: 2017-12-31 11:23:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1031121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owlmoose/pseuds/owlmoose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Royal balls are boring, and Sophia has no idea why the prince keeps sending her invitations. Even more of a mystery: why does she keep accepting?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was written in two parts for two separate Sophia/Basile prompts: "enamor me" and "romantic kiss". Originally posted on Tumblr.

Sophia stood with her back to the garden wall, hands twined behind her back, and sighed. Three grand balls in a month? How long was it going to take Prince Basile to find a wife, anyway? And why did he keep sending invitations to Carmosa’s house? Cinders had already said that she wouldn’t marry him — the way she kept dancing with Tobias made it pretty obvious — and neither she nor Gloria were queen material. It made no sense, and Sophia didn’t like things that didn’t make sense.

And yet, the invitations kept coming, and she kept accepting them. She wasn’t even sure why. No one ever danced with her. Not that she wanted to dance, anyway. The prince always asked, but she always said no. He was just asking to be polite, and she’d rather be home with a book. Did the palace have a library? Sophia wondered if anyone would notice if she snuck off to look for it.

"Sophia?"

She snapped her head forward to see the prince walking toward her, and he pretended she hadn’t been looking longingly at the stairwell. Also, her heart wasn’t beating any faster. Definitely not. “Your majesty,” she said, and started to curtsey.

Prince Basile chuckled and stopped her with an outstretched hand. “No need to be so formal. How are you this evening?”

"Okay." Sophia stood up straight again, then shrugged. "A little bored, if you want the truth."

"I always want the truth. That’s why I like talking to you." The prince smiled, then glanced around the room. "You aren't enjoying the dancing? The food? The music?"

"The food’s good. The music is… okay. Dancing, well." Sophia shook her head. "Dancing just isn’t my thing."

"What is?" The prince cocked his head to the side.

"Noting special." Sophia shuffled her feet under the prince’s interested eyes. He couldn’t really be interested in this, could he? "I spend my spare time reading, mostly."

"An excellent pastime," Prince Basile replied. "I enjoy a good novel myself, although it’s hard to find time for it, what with all the reports and official documents I have to read. And it’s a shame; my father kept an excellent library, but it sits empty most of the time." He looked down at her. "Would you like to see it?"

"Would I!" Sophia could hardly believe her luck. "But… I guess we can’t go now. What with your guests and all."

The prince shook his head. “I am the prince. If I choose to spend my party in the library with a lovely lady, no one can tell me otherwise.”

Sophia almost checked over her shoulder to see what lovely lady he was talking about, then noted his warm smile, his intense gaze, and swallowed. “Oh.”

He swept into a formal bow, then took her hand. His fingers were long and elegant, and his grip gentle. “If you would follow me, my lady.” Sophia let him draw her hand through the crook of his warm elbow, and she walked with him, unsure whether the thought of the books or the company was more appealing. Either way, though, this night had taken a definite turn for the better.


	2. Chapter 2

"Sophia?"

Sophia looked up from her reading, startled by the sudden sound in the hushed space of the library. “Yes?”

She and Prince Basile the two of them had spent half an hour browsing the shelves together before settling down in chairs on opposite sites of the room. But now he set his book down — a slim volume of poetry — and leaned toward her with a smile. “Are you enjoying your novel?”

"It’s a short story collection, actually." Sophia closed the book around her index finger to hold her place. "You have good timing; I just finished the second one. The first was better, but they were both pretty good."

"I’m glad to hear it." The prince smiled at her and held out his hand. "But if you’re ready to take a break, I’d like to show you something."

Sophia opened the book again to take note of the page number, then put it on the floor, on top of her other selections. “Okay.” She let him take her hand and draw her to her feet. “Although I thought you already gave me the whole tour.” 

"Of the inside, yes. But the library has a balcony, here." He tugged on the brass handle of what Sophia had assumed was a cupboard door; instead, as he pulled on it, the whole wall panel came away, revealing an opening to the outside.

It was a balcony, all right, with wooden chairs, benches, and table with a reading lamp. Sophia let her hand rest on the back of a bench, tracing the smooth curve of maple. “What a wonderful spot to curl up with a book.”

"It is," the prince replied, "but I wanted to show you the view." He brought her to the railing, and Sophia stopped with a small gasp. The balcony overlooked the palace gardens in all their finery, the trees lit with tiny lanterns, the fountains bubbling, the music of the string quartet wafting up from below. Beyond, Sophia could see the entire town spreading down to the forest, the moon reflected in the lake, the dark mountains beyond.

"It’s beautiful," she said.

"Isn’t it?" Prince Basile leaned a little closer to her, nudging their shoulders together. "I come up here to think, to be alone, to watch a party from above when I want to guess what people are thinking." He turned to look at her. "I find getting a different view can bring me a different perspective. Don’t you?"

Sophia could only nod; he was looking at her with those big blue eyes, that irresistible smile. When had she started noticing his smile? She cleared her throat and took a step closer to him. “And what does a different perspective tell you?” 

He closed the gap between their hands on the rail; without thinking, she squeezed his fingers and felt him squeeze back. “That I truly hope you accept this invitation to dance.”

She stepped forward as his arm came around her back, and he leaned down and kissed her, a brush of lips, light as a feather. Then he pulled away; it was hard to be certain in this dim light, but Sophia thought he was blushing. “I hope that was all right.”

Sophia squeezed his fingers again, resting her free hand on his waist. “Only if you do it again,” she said.

He chuckled, and then he obliged her, pulling her in for another kiss as they turned around the balcony, waltzing in time with the distant strings.


End file.
